Author Archive
Survivors of clergy child sex abuse tell U.S. bishops of rejection, pain
IMAGE: CNS photo/Bob Roller By Rhina Guidos BALTIMORE (CNS) — Luis A. Torres Jr. stood before a group of U.S. bishops during one of the most publicly watched of their fall annual meetings Nov. 12 in Baltimore and in doing so revealed to the world the reality that he has …
Cardinal: Delay in vote on abuse response proposals a ‘bump in the road’
IMAGE: CNS photo/Kevin Lamarque, Reuters By Dennis Sadowski BALTIMORE (CNS) — A Vatican-requested delay in adopting practices that are expected to boost accountability among U.S. bishops in their response to clergy sex abuse is a "bump in the road," said the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Cardinal …
Bishops must be blameless servants, not princes, pope says
IMAGE: CNS photo/Vatican Media By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A bishop must be "blameless" and at the service of God, not of cliques, assets and power, especially if he is ever to "set right" what needs to be done for the church, Pope Francis said. A bishop must …
Religious groups made effort to drive their flocks to midterm voting
IMAGE: CNS photo/Octavio Duran By Rhina Guidos WASHINGTON (CNS) — Just before the polls opened on Election Day on the West Coast, the Franciscan friars of the Province of St. Barbara in California tweeted a photo of Brother Sam Nasada in a brown habit holding a sign, imploring others to …
Is China’s targeting of Catholics pushback from low-level party officials?
IMAGE: CNS photo/Roman Pilipey, EPA By Michael Sainsbury BANGKOK (CNS) — Although China and the Vatican signed a provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops in September, persecution of Chinese Catholics continues. Some believe there is considerable pushback against the Vatican-China deal from inside China’s United Front Work Department, the …
Update: Archival find at Catholic U. leads to Kristallnacht remembrance
IMAGE: CNS photo/United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy Trudy Isenberg By Mark Pattison WASHINGTON (CNS) — Jews worldwide will remember the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht. In a direct German translation, it means "Crystal Night," but it is more commonly thought of as "Night of Broken Glass," as Nazis and their …
Archbishop Gomez: ‘Pray hard’ for all affected by California shooting
IMAGE: CNS photo/Mike Nelson, EPA By LOS ANGELES (CNS) — After a shooting spree late Nov. 7 at a country-music bar in Thousand Oaks, about 40 miles from the heart of Los Angeles, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles asked people to "pray hard" for the victims and their …
People unwilling to be challenged by God’s mercy will grumble, pope says
IMAGE: CNS photo/Vatican Media By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The sin of grumbling and complaining is often triggered by a desire to avoid being challenged or upset by seeing Christ’s unexpected mercy at work, Pope Francis said. The way Christ gave witness was "something new for that era," …
Catholic agencies closely monitor giving after clergy sex abuse shock
IMAGE: CNS photo/Mark Blinch, Reuters By Dennis Sadowski WASHINGTON (CNS) — Leaders and fundraisers at Catholic organizations are cautiously monitoring the level of donations and gifts as the end-of-the-year giving season approaches, hoping that the clergy sexual abuse scandal won’t negatively affect their bottom line. While most of the professionals …
People unable to give have become slaves to possessions, pope says
IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Life is for loving, not amassing possessions, Pope Francis said. In fact, the true meaning and purpose of wealth is to use it to lovingly serve others and promote human dignity, he said Nov. 7 during his weekly general …